Mother Hyrule Weeps
by Infamously Me
Summary: Centuries after Twilight Princess, Hyrule is a land of wealth and prosper until the monarchy is overthrown by a mysterious tyrant wielding a purple blade. The hellish kingdom of Dragmire rises. Wiped of her memories, Zelda is raised in the shadows by the Sheikah to be a warrior and will stop at nothing to return Hyrule to the light with the help of her dear friend, Link.
1. Prologue: Keep On Living

_Summary: Centuries after Twilight Princess, Hyrule is a land of wealth and prosper until the monarchy is overthrown by a mysterious tyrant wielding a purple blade. The hellish kingdom of Dragmire rises from the ashes. Wiped of her memories, Zelda is raised in the shadows by the Sheikah to be a warrior and will stop at nothing to return Hyrule to the light with the help of her dear friend, Link._

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 _ **MOTHER HYRULE WEEPS**_

* * *

 **Prologue: Keep On Living**

The night of Hyrule's Annual Grand Ball was always a night to remember. Drinks, dancing, entertainment, food and fancy gowns. Everybody who was anybody was there. Royalty from neighbouring nations, ambassadors, high ranking military officers, the Royal High Council, and of course, Hyrule's own royal family.

The royals were the pride of Hyrule. The sheer epitome of grace and class, they set the example for how the fair people of their kingdom should be. Queen Zelda XV and her four beloved children were known far and wide for their charm, wisdom and wit.

Prince Luka, Crown Prince of Hyrule. He was the eldest and most popular of the four, and also, the heir apparent. Infamously handsome and brave, he was everything a future king should be and much more. Just a few weeks shy of nineteen and betrothed to the beautiful Lady Lyza of Tides. Tongues wagged about a royal wedding, though the prince himself never seemed too keen the idea himself. Rumour had it that he did not wish to marry Lady Lyza and actually disliked her. Nevertheless, he was set to marry her and that would be that.

Princess Helga, Duchess of Ordona. The glamorous second born child, and a beautiful playgirl in every sense of the term. Though she was only seventeen, she often spent time drifting between suitors and vacationing on the Kakai Islands, Hyrule's paradise colony. She was the first and only royal heir in history that was fluent in Gerudo, thanks to a gap year she spent amongst the Gerudo people. Her mother believed being exposed to the female tribe would do her eldest daughter some good, though it is really anyone's guess if it did. The Gerudo Chief, Dicca, had become a close friend of the playgirl princess, that much was known.

Prince Zoltan, Duke of Eldin. The third born, known mostly as the family clown. Despite his mother forcing him into military service with the cavalry, believing it would give her youngest son some much needed structure and maturity, it did very little good. What kind of maturity could one expect out of a sixteen year old that was never destined to rule the kingdom?

Princess Zelda of Hyrule. The youngest of the four, and the one Queen Zelda spent most of her days worrying about. Though she was only seven years of age, the youngest princess was incredibly intelligent and intuitive. She had a silent wisdom and intellect that was perhaps even above what her elder siblings possessed.

And that, my friend, is with whom we begin our story with. A seven year old Princess Zelda was not in attendance of the Grand Ball that night. No, instead she was lying awake in her bedroom, looking up at the ceiling with the muffled sound of music echoing through the stone walls.

Her mother had told her she was still too young to attend the event and left her in the care of Impa, a Sheikah Sentinel.

Impa, a young, slender and ruggedly beautiful woman of perhaps twenty-one years sat quietly in the corner of Zelda's bedroom by the unlit fireplace, reading from a book that had the Sheikah eye embossed on the cover. Her blood red eyes moved across the pages slowly.

Her skin was the perfect olive colour and her long hair was as white a fresh winter snow and pulled neatly back into a braided bun. She had three red triangles tattooed just above her left eyebrow, and her left eye was carefully outlined with red ink as well, most likely some sort of symbolic markings of her people.

"Your Highness, sleep happens faster if you close your eyes." Impa called, not taking her eyes off of the text.

"How do you know I'm awake?" Zelda whined in amazement.

"Close your eyes, Princess." Impa responded swiftly, dodging the question.

"Why don't you sleep, Lady Impa?"

"I am to watch you for the night. I cannot watch you if I am asleep. And how many times have I told you that I am not a _Lady_?"

"But why do you have to watch me? I thought you were Luka's protector."

"I am. But your mother demanded it personally, and I must obey Her Majesty's orders." Impa sighed, becoming impatient at the constant questioning. "Please go to sleep."

"Do you like being Luka's Lady Protector?" Zelda quizzed. "He's very fond of you, Lady Impa! Perhaps he should marry you instead of Lady Lyza!"

"Princess..." Impa groaned in slight annoyance.

Zelda laid her head back down and rolled on to her other side, her ashen blonde hair falling into her face. She looked out the window and saw the sky littered with stars. She tried to remember every constellation her mother had taught her in order to lull herself into a slumber, but it did not work.

She could still hear the music playing in the ballroom. It was unmistakably the Serenade of Water, one of her favourite songs. Zelda envisioned countless men and women spinning around on the shiny ballroom floors to the tune. Every person would be dressed up in their nicest uniforms and gowns. She wished she could have been there to see it with her own eyes. How divinely romantic it must have all been, especially to a seven year old girl.

"Can you tell me a story, Lady Impa?"

"I don't know any. Sleep, Princess."

"How do you become a Sheikah?"

"One does not become a Sheikah like one becomes a blacksmith. Sheikah are born to their fates." Impa sighed again, giving Zelda what seemed to be an obvious response.

"What is their fate?"

Impa, realizing it was pointless wasting her breath, exhale heavily, trying to get her irritation across to the young royal.

"Right. Sleep. Sorry." Zelda apologized quickly, realizing she was bothering the woman.

Zelda rolled over again, and it is unknown how long she laid there, unable to fall asleep. All that is known is that she just simply could not sleep. And when the muffled music suddenly stopped, that's when Zelda felt herself become wide awake.

Impa looked up from her book for the first time. Her eyes narrowed and her ears perked up. She slowly stood from her chair, placed her book carefully back into her jacket and put one hand gently on the pommel of the blade attached to her hip.

Alarmed by the silence, Zelda called out. "Lady Impa?"

Impa's eyes bounced around the room as she gridded her teeth like a mad dog.

Zelda sat up in bed to see the tall and slender woman standing attentively near the door, her bright red eyes seemed to glow in the dark. "Lady Impa?"

"Shhhh..." the Sheikah woman hushed.

This was when Zelda heard muffled screaming in place of the once beautiful music. She panicked as she peered out her window once more to see thick smoke smothering the once dazzling starlight in the sky.

"Lady Impa?" Zelda inquired nervously, hopping out of her bed and running to her protector's side. She tugged on her woman's long jacket urgently.

The Sheikah woman placed a hand upon Zelda's blonde head and said nothing. She didn't even give the girl a glance of reassurance. Her eyes remained fixated on the door, as if she could see through it.

Zelda could hear the marching of heavy boots storming down the hallway. "Lady Impa, I'm scared! What's happening?"

Impa's permanent scowl only seemed to deepen, and before Zelda could tug on her protector's jacket one more time, the door swung open with such great force that the young princess was knocked to the ground.

The next thing Zelda heard was the sound of cold steel being quickly unsheathed from a scabbard and then loud thuds of metal hitting the stone floor.

"Close your eyes, Princess." Impa murmured hoarsely.

Zelda then felt herself being scooped up into the arms of her Sheikah guardian and the wind blowing through her hair. Lady Impa was incredibly fast, and she smelt like burning wood.

Zelda gripped onto Impa tightly and shut her eyes even tighter. Unfortunately, she could not close her ears and her imagination did all of the work for her in those moments.

"Sentinel! Help us!"

 _CLASH! CLANG!_

Zelda gripped tighter onto her protector with each sound.

"Sentinel! Where is the-GAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

 _THUD. CLANG! CLINK!_

The young princess felt herself being spun around and around in circles, lifted up and down and at one point, she swore she felt herself being launched into the air and then caught again by her Sheikah guard.

Through it all, Impa continued to order her to keep her eyes closed and to hang on to her.

She had obeyed. Though she could not see anything, young Zelda could smell smoke, steel, sweat and the stench of freshly spilt blood, and she could hear every single blood curdling scream, every blade clashing with each other and the sound of crackling fire. Her home was going up in smoke, and she had no idea as to why.

The next thing she knew, she could feel her feet touch the ground, and Impa releasing her from her grip.

Zelda dared to open her eyes to see regal blue carpet beneath her feet. It was dark, but she knew this place. She was standing in her mother's private library. She could see Impa barring the large wooden doors before turning her focus back on her.

"Are you okay, Princess?" she inquired in a low voice.

"Lady Impa, what is going on? Why is everybody dying? Where's my mother?" Zelda panicked, tears began to flow down her face.

"Shhhhh..." Impa hushed harshly, snapping her fingers and magically lighting a few of the candles in the room.

The room illumined dimly thanks to the candle light. It revealed the dozens of shelves lined with advanced and priceless texts and the grim faces of portraits of ancestors on the walls. Zelda had never liked her mother's private library, she'd always thought it was creepy and too quiet, but on this night, she welcomed the familiarity.

The dim light also revealed a shimmering red liquid covering Impa's right arm. It didn't take long for Zelda to realize that it was blood.

"Lady Impa! You're hurt!" Zelda exclaimed, rushing back to her saviour's side, but Impa raised her hand, silently ordering her to stop.

The woman stood tall and smirked slightly at the girl's concern. She inspected the wound on her arm and grimaced at it, but paid it no further attention. If anything, she just seemed rather annoyed and disgusted with herself for allowing it to happen.

She pushed onward regardless, grabbing up one of the candelabras she had lit magically and began examining the bookshelves. It was certainly an inconvenient time to be rummaging through Queen Zelda XV's personal collection, but little Zelda did not object. Clearly, the Sheikah was looking for something.

The blood continued to run from the laceration, dripping down her arm and onto the floors of the library, dying the carpet from blue to purple. Every time Zelda said something about tending to the wound, Impa objected.

Zelda stood awkwardly and nervously in the centre of the room, drying her tears, still able to hear muffled screams through the stone walls of her home. She did this all while watching her saviour run her finger over the spines of the old books for about ten minutes until there were three strong knocks at the door.

Impa halted her bookcase search and approached the door with caution. She knocked back twice and was answered with four more knocks.

With that she unbarred the door and opened it.

"Your Highness." Impa bowed her head respectfully and stepped aside to reveal at handsome looking young man with flowing ashen hair and a thin crown around his head.

"Sentinel." he nodded, his blue cape followed him as he entered the room. He appeared covered in dirt and debris. His white tunic was drenched in sweat and blood was not his own.

He scanned the room nervously before looking down and seeing Zelda. He rushed to embrace her tightly, dropping to his knees and planting a kiss on the top of her head. "I'm so happy you are safe. Thank the goddesses you are okay, Zelda!"

"Luka..." Zelda murmured on the brink of tears. "Luka, what's happening?"

He seemed to ignore her and just held onto her a little bit longer before breaking his hold on her. He held her tiny tear covered face in his hands before he stood back to his feet and looked at Impa who was sticking her head out into the hallway curiously.

"Is no one else coming?" Impa quizzed, closing the door and barring it once again.

The young man did not respond to the question.

"Your Highness?" Impa furrowed her brow anxiously.

"No one else..." Luka informed gravely.

"And... Her Majesty?"

"Yes."

Impa turned away, defeated by the news. "Damn it..."

"Mother's prediction was correct."

"We should have been more prepared."

"We did everything we could in the time we had..."

The prince and the Sheikah said nothing else to one another for a moment, which confused Zelda.

"Big brother?" Zelda ran to her older brother's side and held his hand. She felt him give her hand an affectionate squeeze, but he did not look at her.

The seven year old princess then felt the back of her hand getting hot. A burning sensation manifested itself quickly. She groaned and jerked her left hand in Luka's grip, he noticed immediately.

"What now?" Impa mumbled, pacing in front of the bookshelf on the far side of the room.

The Crown Prince of Hyrule dropped to his knee again and examined Zelda's hand. He ran his thumb over it gently as a Triforce symbol began to appear. His face was grave, and his scowled at the mark on his baby sister's hand. He exhaled heavily. "We continue with the plan."

Impa nearly dropped the candelabra at hearing this. "I beg your pardon?"

The prince released Zelda's hand from his grip, stood and began to unbuckle the shimmering sword on his belt. "Look for the book titled _History of the Arcane_ _Volume Nineteen_ , it should be near the fireplace."

The Sheikah narrowed her eyes and approached the shelf nearest the darkened hole that was the fireplace. She once again ran her fingers over the spines of the books until there was a notable clicking sound from her position.

The bookcase slowly began to pull backward and reveal a small, narrow and dark passageway lined with steep stairs and cobwebs. There was a musty smell coming from the hidden corridor, giving the impression it had not been used for many, many years.

"Follow that path for about three days and you'll be at Lake Hylia." Luka informed dropping back down onto his knees and looking Zelda in the eyes.

With outstretched hands he held his sheathed sword before her. "Zelda, I want you to have this. Do you know what this is?"

Zelda studied the blade hidden within the scabbard. The hilt was made of the finest metals and encrusted with sapphires, rubies and emeralds. It was practically a work of art.

"The Sword of Hyrule?"

"Yes. So long as an heir holds this sword, Hyrule will rise again." Luka nodded with a small, sad smile. "Protect it with your life."

Zelda accepted it. It took all of her strength to hold it in her arms. She was surprised by the weight of it. "Why are you giving it to me, brother?"

"Just... hang on to it for me for a little while, okay?" he kissed her on the forehead and stood once again. "You must keep on living, Zelda. Do you understand?"

She just nodded back as tears began to well up in her eyes again.

The handsome young man walked back to the door but stopped himself for some reason. Impa stared at him, seemingly halting him in his tracks.

"If you go back out there, you will die." Impa informed firmly, as if trying to argue with him.

"If I don't go back out there, everyone will die." Luka argued back, looking the Sheikah in the eyes.

The two seemed to have had some sort of silent conversation conveyed simply through eye contact in those moments, as Zelda could not understand any of it. Perhaps she was too young to understand.

"Very well. This is the path you've chosen. You know what the sealing requires?"

"Mother told us. A small price if you consider what it will do." Luka divulged, grabbing the ancestral sword that was mounted on the fireplace mantle. He then tilted his head towards Zelda, "take good care of her..."

"I will." Impa clasped her hands together as the prince passed her by.

Zelda watched him go nearer to the door, still uncertain about everything that was going on. Where was her mother? Where was her sister? Where was her other brother? What was happening? Where was Luka going? Why was he leaving her? Why did he give her the Sword of Hyrule? What was going on?

"May Nayru grant you the wisdom to outsmart your enemies, may Farore give your brave heart strength and may Din grant you a strong and steady hand for your blade." Impa bowed her head. "And may you find eternal peace in Hylia's embrace..."

And with that, the Crown Prince of Hyrule swung the door open again and disappeared from Zelda's life forever.

A great shame, indeed, for this meant that she was alone in the world. But it is perhaps an even greater shame that Zelda would never be able to recount any of these events, because the next thing she knew, Impa had placed her long, cold index and middle fingers upon her little forehead and hummed some kind of incantation. The last thing Zelda saw that night was darkness.


	2. We Don't Need Heroes

**Chapter One: We Don't Need Heroes**

Master Impa of the Sheikah Clan was a calm, cool and collected woman. _The model Sheikah_ , if you will. She was a woman of thirty-five Hylian years, born into the shadow tribe and blessed with the signature red eyes at birth. She was taken from her parents and raised within the clan's main household.

Yes, all Sheikah had red eyes, but not always at birth. Most had black eyes that turned crimson within a week or so. The belief amongst her people was that children who possessed the crimson eyes upon entering the world were special. They were seen as prodigies. They were stronger, faster, and smarter than their peers. Thus, these special infants would be taken from the arms of their mothers, and would be raised by the elders to be personal guards and attendants of the royal family.

That is just what Impa was. Taken away from the hidden Sheikah settlement and raised within the walls of Hyrule Castle. Exposed to the various potions, rites and challenges of the Grace Trials, which rendered all main household Sheikah sterile, she had a heightened sense of hearing and sight, along with cat-like reflects and strong magical abilities.

Yes, you read that correctly, friend. Main household Sheikah were sterile, which is why they relied heavily upon their settlement to produce children. But the glaring issue was, most Sheikah did not want children. Not only was there a fear of their child being taken away from them, but most Sheikah just did not have time for it. Even if one was not in the main household, they still served Hyrule other ways. So women would often gag at the idea of being pregnant, the men would scoff at the idea of fathering children, and both rolled their eyes at the idea of intimacy.

This is why the Sheikah numbers had always dwindled. This is why the Sheikah had all but died out. This is why their genocide fourteen years prior was so easy.

Fourteen years had gone by in a snap, and for fourteen years Master Impa had upheld her promises to the royal family. She had kept a certain child safe, and she had watched a certain child grow up right before her eyes. That child was the future of Hyrule, and had no clue about any of it. That certain child was Princess Zelda of Hyrule, the last blood of the royal line.

But as far as that girl knew, she was just an orphan that had been taken in and trained by the Sheikah, just like many other children that had been left parentless by the seemingly sudden coup of the monarchy. It was easier that way, but Impa knew that one day the truth would have to come out.

Because their numbers dwindled, the Sheikah had taken many children into their care and raised them in the Sheikah ways. It was blasphemy, perhaps, as many of the Sheikah elders had protested. But these were desperate times. The Sheikah were the final pillar of the old regime, and the group had taken it upon itself to restore the kingdom. In order to do that, they would need many great warriors.

Hyrule was no longer Hyrule, and that was a problem. Hyrule had been conquered in a matter of days and was renamed Dragmire. A self appointed supreme emperor had appeared out of nowhere and had thrown the once beautiful kingdom into darkness. Emperor for Life, Ganforth had followers everywhere and had gained power quickly. Sheikah intelligence linked his strength to his peculiar purple sword of unknown origin.

Ganforth, a man shrouded in mystery. Impa would never forget his face. Hidden beneath a thick mane of red hair, was a grey skinned man with a thin unibrow, a fat crooked nose, teeth like fangs and burning red eyes. He had the laugh of a demented poe, and the body and stature of a darknut. Impa felt ill just thinking about the tyrant.

Impa sat cross-legged in the ruins of the settlement that was once home to her people. She had always hated the place with a passion. Located on the northern tip of the Faron province and abandoned to the sands of time, few structures remained standing, and vegetation only grew upon the cliffs surrounding the old village. It was no longer a secret place as one could easily access Hyrule field and several other areas of interest quickly.

Her eyes were closed and her hands were folded gracefully together between her legs. Though she appeared to be meditating, she was acutely aware of her surroundings. She could hear everything from the wind blowing through the barren tree branches, to a mouse scourging for food in one of the last standing structures in the old village.

She could even hear the footsteps emerging behind her in the red dirt.

"Link." She called, knowing the specific step pattern all too well. She opened her eyes halfway and turned to head slightly to see if she was correct. She was. She always was.

Approximately twenty metres away stood a young man with cold blue eyes and fair skin. His golden blonde hair framed both sides of his face perfectly. He was a very attractive young man by all accounts with handsome and pronounced facial features. You could almost argue that he was somewhat feminine looking or 'pretty'.

He was clad in a green tunic with a matching pointed cap, ecru coloured pants and tall, brown riding boots with harmonizing gloves and belt, and a simple longsword strapped to his back. His undershirt had been heavily stained with sweat and it appeared to be a more off-white colour because of this. No amount of washing would ever change it back to the perfect white it was supposed to be. These were the standard issue clothes that all of the Hylian wards were given, though colour often varied.

Impa knew why he had come, and simply exhaled upon his arrival. She stood to her feet and towered over the young man like a giant.

Her long, white ponytail ran down her back and blew calmly in the breeze and she looked down her sharp nose at him. "You're late."

"I'm sorry, Master Impa." He apologized quickly, not meeting her gaze, "I slept in."

"Again." She crossed her arms. Unimpressed would have been an understatement. She was tired of her wards not taking their duties seriously.

"Zelda woke me up though!"

"Of course she did..." Impa turned away, flipping her sleeveless cloak behind her. She would never understand Zelda's affection for the tardy lad. He was a humble boy who had grown up being obsessed with the Age of Heroes, in Impa's eyes, that made him a fool. "And where would Zelda be today?"

"Training for the Rover, I think." Link scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "She's at it morning and night. She wants to practice swords tonight... again."

 _The Rover_. It was slang for an ancient Sheikah rite of passage that tested one in ways that could almost be considered torture. When the clan started taking in ordinary Hylian children and training them in the Sheikah ways, they had opened many of these traditions to them.

That said, only one Hylian had ever passed one of these rites. And that Hylian was Link with the _Fist-Fire Trial_. It was a rite that strongly emphasised weapons prowess and combat. He had amazed even Impa.

Zelda had been adamant about wanting to run the Rover. Impa had tried numerous times to talk her out of it. It had not worked. The girl had trained all hours of the day to perfect her skills. Secretly, a part of Impa was proud.

"Right then, I want you to scavenge for pops mushrooms in the Low Trails today."

"The Low Trails? Pops mushrooms?" Link almost protested. Clearly a foraging job was not what he had had in mind for his day.

"Our supply is running dangerously low. We need them to make explosive arrows. Take them to Master Elder Raand when you're done."

Pops mushrooms were a necessary ingredient in making homemade explosives. With the Goron mines being open only to the _Supreme Emperor_ , the Sheikah had to find other ways. They had rummaged through their old texts and had to learn how their ancestors had done things in the dark days.

"Anything else?"

"Wood for arrow shafts, and not those twigs you got the last time. Real wood. I believe Yolanda gathered stones for arrowheads last night."

Link nodded in understanding, yet there seemed to be something he wanted to say to her.

Impa stared down her nose at him again, wondering why he continued to stand there. "You are burning daylight. Best hurry and gather those provisions before the wolfos come out. They seemed to have made a home in the Low Trails."

"Master Impa, when are we going to rise up and-?

"Not yet." Impa hushed harshly. She was tired of this question.

"When?"

The boy was growing impatient. He wasn't worth a damn at magic, and he could just skate by at scavenging. His love was the sword and combat. He loved a good fight, Impa knew this. It was a good trait to have in a warrior, but it was also a dangerous one. The lad was always itching for a fight it seemed.

"When the Master Elders decide it is time." Impa sighed.

"It's been fourteen years. I think our numbers are as good as they're going to get."

"Do you not think I know that, boy?" Impa hissed, refraining from grabbing Link by the collar. "The reasoning they give us is that we are waiting for the enemy to get comfortable and to drop their guard. That is when we will strike."

"But fourteen years of waiting?"

"It is not your place to question the choices of the Master Elders."

"Ganforth is probably sitting in Hyrule Castle right now getting fat!"

"Do not underestimate the false despot! He could kill you easily."

"Have you fought him?"

Impa scowled, not wanting to answer the question.

"You have!" Link gasped, drawing a conclusion on his own terms.

"You are a fool, boy. You are a fool wanting to partake if foolish heroics." Impa jeered. "We don't need heroes, we need professionals. Which are you?"

Link fell silent. His fists were clenched with rage. He wouldn't dare challenge Impa, she knew this. He was outmatched in every way. She could have him pinned to the ground before he could even draw his sword.

Impa narrowed her eyes and placed a single slender hand on Link's shoulder, much to his surprise. "Calm yourself, boy. Do your jobs. Do them well. Your time will come soon enough."

"Yes, Master Impa." He bowed his head respectfully before making his way east on foot.

Impa watched him go. She felt no remorse for the heated exchange of words. It was a commonplace between them. She was used to the young man's constant desire to change the world in a day. She admired it to some extent, though she'd never admit it.

"And one more thing, boy!" she called after him. Link stood still in his tracks. She knew she had surprised him. "Watch out for electric keese. They were practically swarming on the Low Roads this morning. Saw them during my morning scout."

When Link started to walk again, she knew he had heard her and heeded her warning.

Yes, Impa may have seen the boy as an idiot, but a part of her still cared about him, he was technically one of her wards after all. Also, Zelda would never forgive her if she drove him off or allowed him to get hurt.

Though Zelda was not raised as a princess, Impa couldn't help but constantly bow down and show restraint to the girl. Impa was a Sheikah, and Zelda was a princess. Nothing was going to change that or the fact that Impa was sworn to a sacred duty.

Impa stood alone for a moment, waiting until Link was nothing but a small speck on the horizon to the east. She then smirked and called out again. "Did you enjoy watching that, Zelda?"

Lo and behold, a young ashen haired woman jumped out of a sycamore tree on the top of the cliff, overlooking the ruins. She was dressed in a similar fashion to that of Link, except her tunic and matching cap were a deep and handsome plum colour and the outfit was more slimming and feminine, enhancing her figure.

She was beautiful, to say the least. She had medium length, wavy locks of ash blonde hair that hugged her cheeks, and deep blue eyes that could melt even the coldest of hearts. She had mouse-like facial features. Girlishly cute, but also gorgeous. She had one pronounced scar on her face that spanned from her right eyebrow to her hairline and a faint one on her chin. These were souvenirs from previous adventures, or misadventures, or whatever the hell one wished to call them.

She descended the cliff with a few simple leaps and bounds with the grace of a ballerina. Impa simply watched with her arms crossed. It never ceased to amaze her at just how much the girl had grown from a curious seven year old asking for a bedtime story.

"You didn't have to be so hard on him, Master Impa." Zelda shook her head, approaching.

Impa had to refrain from rolling her eyes. Zelda's fondness of the boy was an annoyance at times. Zelda had argued that she and Link had some kind of divine connection, as if they had known each other in a past life. Of course, whenever someone implied at the feelings ran deeper than a close and loving friendship, she denied it and would get rather angry. Impa was indifferent to it all one way or another.

"Link is a brave young man and great fighter, I can't deny that. But, like most great fighters, he has the recklessness to go along with it." Impa divulged. "He needs to learn. I've buried a lot of good men and women that had similar natures. I don't want the same fate for him."

Zelda adjusted her belt pensively, clearly trying to think of something to say as the pair began to walk slowly through the ruins.

"He hasn't changed a bit since the day I pulled him out of that cupboard in that ruined little shack of a house in the Faron Woods." Impa scoffed nostalgically. "He was going to fight me. Thought I was the one who killed his mother..."

Zelda continued to be quiet. Impa knew the girl remembered the day all too well. She was there by Impa's side that day. It'd only been three weeks since the castle siege, and three weeks since she started her new life as a Sheikah trainee. Seeing a scared little boy of the same age, curled up in a cupboard, shaking and yelling nonsense at her and Impa was most likely one of her first memories of her new life. He'd tried to attack Impa, and it went about as well as one would imagine. She ended up knocking him out and carrying him back with them to their camp. It was at that campsite that night that Impa first saw the instant bond Zelda shared with Link. She could still remember seeing the seven year old princess holding the boy's hand comfortingly.

" _I lost my family too."_ Impa could never forget hearing the child utter such chilling words.

"He means well." Zelda defended him, finally.

Impa sighed, knowing she would never make the unknowing princess see things her way. Ultimately, she decided to change the subject. "Do you think you'll be ready for the Rover? It's only three days away."

"I'm ready!" Zelda nodded surely.

"It's never too late to back out, Zelda. I ran the Rover once as well. And it-

"Tests you mentally, physically and emotionally. I know." Zelda chuckled a bit. "But Link passed the Fist-Fire Trial last year. If he can pass a rite, so can I!"

"The Rover and the Fist-Fire are very different. The Fist-Fire and about combat, the Rover is about survival and wit." Impa stated. "Our rites were not designed with regular Hylians in mind."

"Yes, but I am not a regular Hylian." Zelda looked up at Impa with a knowing look in her eye.

Impa sighed again. There was no stopping the girl. Some days she swore Zelda somehow knew of her birthright despite being wiped of her memories. That was impossible though. Impa had personally cleared the girl's mind herself that night fourteen years prior.

"How is your footwork? You were a bit slow the last time I saw you sword fight."

"Better. Link helped me a lot." Zelda answered calmly.

"Very well." Impa laughed through her nose judgingly. The conversation shifted back to the green clad boy once again. She then slowly drew her longsword from her hip and held it proudly in front of Zelda with a grin. The dull sunlight glinted off of the finely forged blade, hitting it just perfectly. Usually, Impa wore a traditional Sheikah katana on her hip, but on this day, she had a feeling it would be the day she tested Zelda herself. "Show me what the fool taught you."

Zelda's eyes widened and her lips parted slightly in surprise. Impa couldn't blame her. She had always turned down Zelda's requests to spar. In Impa's mind, Zelda was still a princess of Hyrule, and she would never cross swords with royalty ever. There was nothing against it in the Sheikah vows, but it was still viewed as a taboo.

Zelda scrambled to find the hilt of her blade on her back and pulled it from the scabbard quickly. At this, Impa smiled genuinely for the first time in a long while.

But before the sound of steel on steel could ring out in the ruins, a loud bang could be heard from the fields to the east. In that direction, a perturbed flock of crows blanketed the everlasting grey skies, momentarily turning it into a noisy sea of moving black.

Both master and pupil spun and stared off into the distance curiously. Impa tried to hone her hearing but was interrupted by Zelda crying out.

"Oh no! Link!" She ran ahead of Impa, rushing after the sound.

"Zelda! Wait!" Impa shouted after her, but it was no use. The girl was sprinting towards the source of the noise. "Damn it!"


End file.
